Campers celebrate Halloween in Erbil cave

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - After an hour and a half hike, the group reached their destination on Sunday evening. As soon as they arrived, they started setting up their tents and decorations. 

The campers put up Halloween decorations such as skeletons, as well as lamps and candles in an attempt to create a scary ambience to mark the festivity. 

They had to trek a scary and dark route to reach the spot. While walking, they started making jokes and scaring one another.

"I love traveling a lot. Traveling is my favorite hobby. I love travel that is full of adventures. These kinds of trips are so special for me," Azeez told Rudaw.

Mahabad Faraj, 62, a camper and a mother of two, had come for the camping trip together with two of her daughters.

"Connecting with nature and other people I think is a must. I am not saying that we have come here for the sake of celebrating Halloween, but the trip itself. If I can, I will go camping every week. I always would love to do it," Faraj said.

Alan Baldwin, a British national, was the only foreign camper among them. Baldwin, 58, has traveled across 40 countries in the world and he is currently on a visit to Erbil. Baldwin believes Halloween is a new thing for the Kurdistan Region and in the future "more scary things" could be added to their celebrations.

Like many other parts of the world, Halloween celebrations are increasingly held in the Kurdistan Region with partiers playing music and dancing along with Halloween-themed decorations and food.

Halloween is celebrated every year on October 31 around the world with outfits of ghosts, ghouls, and other disguised scary creatures competing for the biggest scares.